Behind the Line
by CrystalBud
Summary: It wasn't just the Gods protecting the Titans, monsters hunted them down long before Cronus escaped from Tartarus. For years they protected them from the shadows. They helped shaped the Titans into the people they are but now with Cronus free, the Titans are in more danger than ever. They could only stay hidden for so long, but just maybe it's time to stop.


Chapter 1

Copy Right: everything belongs to the creaters of Class of the Titans except original characters and alterations to the story plot

Nothing beats waking up at 2 am in the morning to the shrieks of supposedly non-existent bird ladies. Or chasing them half way across the city before becoming trapped in a deserted alley way forced to fight for your life. Unfortunately these bird ladies were especially stubborn and refused to stay down.

In the darkness of the alley she hid and watched. There were 4 of them, having dispatched two of their sisters the harpies were furious and out for blood. She'd had the upper hand until a group of drunken mortals had stumbled into the park. Upon seeing the nightmarish creatures they had screamed and panicked, unknowingly drawing the harpies' attention and becoming their new target. She'd thrown herself in front of one particularly slow and delirious man. The combination of alcohol and adrenaline had not helped her, instead of running away the man had frozen and curled into a whimpering ball. She'd been forced to protect the cowering man while simultaneously trying to prevent the harpies from flying off and exposing monsters and myth to the modern world.

Luck had not been on her side. Just as she'd managed to take one down with one of her daggers the man's friends had returned with the authorities. Momentarily distracted she hadn't seen one of the harpies approach until she fell to the ground grasping her leg which now adorned a deep gash. Then the group had flown off into the sky and she had barely managed to cast an invisibility spell before the group had emerged into the clearing. The man was hysterical, rambling on about flying creatures and sword wielding warriors. She hadn't even brought a sword with her. The police clearly hadn't believed him, but she'd had to wipe the group's memory just in case any of them remembered the following morning. At most all they'd recall was a midnight stroll through the park.

After tracking the remaining harpies down half way across the city she'd fallen into an ambush. Similar unusual occurrences of teamwork and carefully planned monster attacks had started weeks ago and were becoming more frequent. It had become a growing concern for those who knew about the world of mythology, not only that but more and more monsters had been coming out from the shadows.

And now she was trapped with only a few of the small number of weapons she'd managed to gather left. The gash on her leg had opened further on her chase. With no time to attend the wound blood slid down her pale leg and formed a small puddle on the ground. She looked around for a way out but their defence was thorough, leaving no gaps for escape. There wasn't much time before the harpies smelt her blood and found her.

There. A dumpster was open in the far of the alley, just big enough to fit a body or two. She eyed the two closest harpies before fixing her bright, sky blue eyes on the spot near the dumpster. 'Tilane quislm la nevia…' she whispered. In the dark a mirror image materialised behind the dumpster. Long, golden blonde hair fell down her back in a messy braid and dirt smudged her tattered black tank top and yoga pants. Her favourite dark brown combat boots were scuffed from her race across the city. Quietly her petite illusion jumped on top of the dumpster and whistled.

The monsters shrieked and dived for her, their claws reflected the moonlight. A shriek of victory filled the air before morphing into surprised agony. Without a way of slowing down they had sailed straight through the illusion and into the dumpster. The girl lurched from her hiding position and stabbed the two disorientated harpies through the heart. Their bodies froze and withered into dust.

The two remaining monsters screamed and lunged for her. She jumped of the dumpster and ran for the open street. Once she rounded the corner she grabbed her remaining dagger and waited. A second later a figure blurred before her, the next instant it was a drifting cloud of dust. The last harpy flew past, dodging the dagger she threw at it. It looked her directly in the eye, its red irises shining with hate and bloodlust. Baring her fangs she shrieked a final time and flew off. She tried to follow but her leg collapsed from beneath her.

The girl bit her lip from the pain as she pressed a hand to the wound to stop the bleeding. Her hand glowed a soft silver from a simple healing incantation, the wall she leant against was cool on her back as she waited for the pain to stop. She was almost asleep when her pocket vibrated. Sighing she took out her phone and groaned. One message appeared on her screen.

'Looks like you lucks run out.'

She didn't appreciate the joke.

x.O.o.O.x

Today was not her day. She's received a text while searching for the remaining harpy on the outskirts of the city. Apparently the publisher had had a sudden flash of inspiration and instead of being within the cluster of a photo studio they were now in the middle of the old rail station. Not that she minded, it was just... dangerous. With all that open space isolated from the rest of the world, not to mention the giant, high-speed hunks of metal that whizzed by every now and then. It was a recipe for disaster.

They'd been half way through the shoot when she'd arrived. A blond male teen posed in front of one of the many rail lines, the outline of the city framing him majestically. He had sent her a disapproving look and an annoyed, 'about time, Alyssa' before returning his attention back to the camera. She sighed and moved over to his dresser where he kept his belongings. A familiar designer bag rested on the desk that she opened and ruffled through until she found the notebook she knew he had brought for her. With a grateful smile she limped over to an iron container and sat down.

The book fell open in her lap, revealing a folded note filled with elegant writing she'd know anywhere. Alyssa picked it up and laughed at her friend's disapproving and whining tone. She put it in the pocket of her dirty jeans, wincing as pain raced through her leg. A simple illusion spell altered her appearance to disguise her ruined and blood stained clothes. She drew doodles in the corner of the page with the pen she's picked up earlier and considered slipping off to make a phone call when she felt the a tickle of negative energy appear nearby. Her hands shook at the prospect of having to fight again so soon. The others hadn't noticed anything was wrong.

The photographer was having a field day. 'That's it baby. Yeah, yeah, the camera loves ya baby.'

Alyssa winced at the sharp flash of the camera and glanced over at the blond model posing by an old train. She didn't need to look to see his arrogant smirk, it coated his voice. 'Yeah, tell me something I don't know.'

Shaking her head she scanned the area for the negative energy when the air became dark and suffocating. Her head whipped to locate Neil, who remained oblivious to his presence. The camera crew were gagged and tied up at the feet of a man dressed entirely in black. The very air around him shimmered with an ancient power unlike anything she'd felt before. White streaks ran through his black hair and a scar slashed across his right cheek. He was the epitome of evil with the blood red eyes to match. Looming behind him were 3 tall creatures clearly not human. One was sky blue with fur covering his stomach and black bands with studs circling his wrist. Next to him stood the tallest of all three, a muddy brown colour with orange facial hair and a menacing glower. To his left a blood red giant with golden wrist bands and a black kilt.

Alyssa starred at the one man she's hoped to never meet. 'Cronus,' she whispered, quickly moving closer to Neil so she could do something, anything, if he tried to hurt Neil.

'Neil, at last we meet.'

Neil glanced up, his glasses covering his eyes. He paused and pulled out a picture of himself from his pocket before signing it. 'A big fan huh? I suppose you want an autographed picture.'

Itching to run Alyssa tugged at Neil's jacket. 'Neil….maybe you shouldn't…'

Cronus appeared momentarily startled before his lips twisted into sneer 'Very kind my dear boy but I have bigger plans for you.'

'Plans?' She was left grasping at thin air as Neil walked over with interest. 'Are you some kind of agent? Big time mover and shaker?'

'Oh yes, mover and shaker.' Cronus grabbed Neil's shoulder and dragged him closer. 'Big time.'

A car screeched into the roundhouse and a group of teenagers jumped out. They glared at Cronus from where they stood. Alyssa stared at the boy in front with light brown hair wearing a yellow and purple stripped poly, he appeared to be the leader. 'Cronus.'

A girl with long, orange hair pointed at them. 'And there's Neil.'

Worry filled her as she stared with wide eyes, what did they think they were doing? It was too soon for them to confront Cronus.

Neil frowned at them, 'I thought this was a closed set.' He removed his glasses and took out a golden mirror to admire himself, 'Well, I've got to make time for fans that are that dedicated.'

Cronus nearly growled at the group of teenagers. A second later he moved next to Neil and smirked.

'Oh, let my body guards take care of them. We have more important business to do.' He dragged Neil away as the giant advanced on the group. Alyssa glanced at the mirror left abandoned on the ground, torn between helping and following Neil. A shadow caught her eye in a warehouse behind the train lines and she sighed softly. Quickly, she turned and ran after Neil, leaving a small trail of blood behind her.

x.O.o.O.x

'Nice digs, it's about time I got noticed by one of the top agents.' Cronus had taken them to the top floor of a skyscraper in the business district of the city. The room radiated wealth with a carved stone wall, massive purple chandelier crafted from a stunning gem and its picturesque view.

'I assure you you won't find anyone more powerful than I am.' There was an image of a lion mooring the neck of a bull. Alyssa couldn't help but wonder at the double meaning.

'Great. Wow, fab view.' Neil walked over and posed in front of the room length window. The shimmering ring danced in the light of the setting sun. 'I would look great with a background like that.' He combed his hand through his hair. 'Not that I need a background to look great.'

'Are you concerned with anything other than your looks?'

'I wouldn't call it concern, I mean what have I got to be concerned about.'

You have no idea, Alyssa thought, shaking her head.

'Hm, very odd, you don't strike me as the hero type.' Cronus turned his gaze towards Alyssa and looked her up and down. It wasn't until that moment she realised the depth of his darkness, the relentless evil that lurked beneath his eyes. She prayed he couldn't sense her spell or her magic. Just a little longer, she thought, it wouldn't be long before they arrive.

'I haven't seen anyone this self-absorbed since-' Alyssa stepped closer to Neil who was studiously staring at his reflection as the man, no, monster approached. She tugged desperately at his hand, trying to get his attention. He looked down at her for a second, missing the fearful look in her eyes and patted her shoulder.

'Tell me, are you related to anyone called Narcissus?'

Neil continued to study his reflection from different angles. 'Hm..Nope, I'm not signed with anyone called Narcissus. Strictly freelance.'

'Come with me Neil, I have something I think will interest you.' He lead them out onto the veranda of the building and over to a clear pool of water. High in the sky the ice ring shone menacingly down at them.

Neil's face lit up. 'Oh, a pool shoot, I always look good in a swim suit.'

Cronus smiled at him. 'Look good? You'll look positively mesmerizing.' The water rippled as if within a storm. Alyssa struggled to breath at her first glimpse of this monsters power. Power this dark couldn't come from anything else.

'See for yourself.' Neil leaned over the water, she could see the exact moment he fell under the spell. He dropped to his knees and gazed lovingly at his reflection in the water.

'Neil…' Alyssa stiffened when Cronus turned and glanced at her, annoyed, like he'd forgotten she was there. 'Ah, I forgot about you,' he grinned and gestured towards her, 'what kind of host would I be if I didn't provide entertainment.'Cronus turned and walked back into the suite, leaving her, Neil and the giant he'd summoned all alone.

It emerged from the shadows and slowly lumbered towards her. He clenched his white, fur covered fists and bared his fangs in a mockery of a smile. She slowly backed away until she hit the edge of the balcony. The giant laughed at her nervous expression and suddenly his fist was barrelling towards her face. She lunged between his legs leaving his fist to knock a hole through the side of the building. Her heart sped up at the obliterated wall and she felt the illusion around her fade away.

'Neil,' she cried to the unresponsive boy, ducking under the giants' fist, 'snap out of it!'

She jumped, ducked and twisted until she could barely breathe, trying to keep the giant away from the spell struck Neil. At some point during their deadly dance her leg wound had opened and begun to bleed. The smell of iron and wild animal was nauseating. She was so focused on the giant before her she didn't see the one approaching her from behind until her head collided with the ground the world was swallowed by the darkness.

Alyssa tried to move her body but the sharp pain throbbing through her head left her unable to move, let alone think. A groan escaped her lips as she managed to crack her eyes open. The two giants were standing over her prone body with gleaming eyes. The taller of the two grabbed her blood mattered hair and used it to haul her body of the ground and into the air. It felt as if her head was being tugged right off her bruised body. Her lips parted to call for help, but all that escaped was a pained whimper. Warmth dripped down her face and leg, splattering on the floor. The giants laughed echoed in her ears as she tried desperately to free herself. She wished she could use her magic, but the risk that Cronus would notice was too great.

Numbness began to spread through her body and her thrashing ceased. Her pale blue eyes glared at the giant who decided it would be fun to jerk her body up and down like a rag doll. She cried out, the pain intensifying to the point she thought she would faint.

'Put her down!' The giants grip suddenly loosened and she was falling through the air. Completely drained she prepared herself for the impact but it never came. Her eyes meet concerned pools of deep brown, speckled with gold that she faintly recognised. 'Hey, don't close your eyes,' the muscular boy from before stared at her with wide eyes that filled with panic when her eyes dropped. He gentle shook her body, 'come on, stay awak-'

A devastating roar filled the air and the ground beneath them shook. Alyssa gasped in pain at the vibrations, the boy sent her a concerned look before scooping her up in his arms. 'Hey it's gonna be okay,' he promised, 'we'll get you out of here.'

Whimpering she leant against his chest, 'Neil,' she croaked, gripping the bright green shirt of the boy tightly.

He gently placed her down against the glass wall out of harm's way. 'I'll be right back,' he turned and ran to help his friends. He was strong she noticed, they all were, but against Cronus they stood no chance. She remained conscious long enough to see Cronus tumble off the edge of the building and for a pair of strong, warm arms to cradle her to a broad chest.


End file.
